Glass controlled dispensing valve



March 25, 1952 I J. A: HOPWOOD GLASS CONTROLLED DISPENSING VALVE FiledDec. 6, 1949 INVENTOR JZJHA/ ,4 Hopwooo ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 25, 1952GLASS CONTROLLED DISPENSING VALVE John A. Hopwood, Westfield, N. J.,assignor to Monitor Process Corporation, Jersey City, N. J a corporationof New Jersey Application December 6, 1949, Serial No. 131,477

Claims.

This invention relates to liquid dispensers of the general characterdisclosed in William Tamminga Patent No. 2,186,083 dated January 9,1940. That patent describes an apparatus for dispensing milk from a milkdelivery can into drinking glasses. The can is positioned within arefrigerated cabinet provided with a door. The can is of theconventional type except that it is provided in its side Wall and nearthe bottom with a milk discharge tube adapted, when the can is in thecabinet, to be withdrawn through an opening in the door and connected toa valve operating device mounted on the exterior of the door. In theouter end of the discharge tube is a slide valve provided with lockingtongues which, during shipment of the can, are bent over a flange at theouter end of the tube to lock the valve in closed position. When thetube is withdrawn from the can and secured to the valve operating deviceon the door, said operating device may be manipulated to disengage thetongues from the flange of the tube and simultaneously secure the valveto said operating device. The tube is locked against longitudinalmovement in its extended position and, when the operating device isactuated, the valve is moved longitudinally of the tube to cover anduncover a port in the tube, through which the milk is discharged into adrinking glass positioned beneath the same.

In the apparatus of said prior patent, the valve operating device ismanually actuated through a handle adapted to be grasped by one hand ofthe operator and oscillated to shift the valve in the manner stated,while the operator ordinarily holds the drinking glass in his other handas the glass is being filled. This mode of operation involves the use ofboth hands of the operator, which is inconvenient, particularly wherethe operator is carrying bundles, a tray of food or other articles inone hand.

The object of the present invention is to so constitute the operatingdevice of the said prior patent that it may be actuated by a drinkingglass as the latter is brought into a position to receive milk from theport in the discharge tube.

In carrying out this invention I employ, generally, much of thestructure of said prior patent, but eliminate the knob operation andsubstitute therefor novel and efficient means for the drinking glassoperation of the valve.

The following detailed description sets forth in detail the manner inwhich this is accomplished and the mechanism employed in operating therespective parts.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one 2. practical embodiment of theinvention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood asillustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure l is a central vertical section through a valve operating deviceattached to the cabinet door, showing the parts in full line in valveclosing position and in dotted lines in valve opening (milk dispensing)position. This view is taken in the plane of the line l-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is an elevation looking from the right hand side of Figure land showing the valve operating device and discharge tube, with the backplate of said device removed.

Figure 3 is a view showing various parts of the apparatus in dismantledcondition in order to more clearly illustrate their individual forms.

The following detailed description employs, insofar as practical, thesame reference numerals as used in the Tamminga patent aforesaid forcorresponding parts. It is to be noted, however, that whereas theTamminga patent discloses means for introducing compressed air throughthe discharge tube for the purpose of agitating the milk, this means hasbeen omitted in the showing of the present drawings in the interest ofclearness.

In the accompanying drawings, 3 designates the door of the cabinet and 6the discharge tube which extends from the can (not shown) through anopening 38 in the door. Mounted on the outside of the door is a'housing39, held in place on the door by screws or in any other appropriatemanner. This housing is provided with an in tegral depending bracket 19,the lower end of which is curved on the arc of a circle and is providedwith a bead 18 adapted to embrace the upper half of the tube and engagewith an external channel 20 formed in said tube to lock the tube againstlongitudinal movement when thus engaged.

Mounted for longitudinal reciprocating movement in the housing 39 is aplunger 45. This plunger is parallel to the axis of the tube and itsinner end is reduced to form a shoulder at 41. A fixed collar 49 is heldagainst this shoulder by a resilient locking ring 149 seated in acircumferential channel I50 in the reduced end of the plunger. A springembraces the plunger between the front wall of the housing of the collar49 and serves to normally urge the plunger rearwardly, i. e., to theright in Figure 1. The back of the housing is closed by a plate I5 I,rabbeted into the rear end of the housing and held in place by screwsthreaded into holes I52 in the wall of the housing. This plate II has athreaded opening coaxial with the plunger and this opening is adapted toreceive a threaded stop member I53, provided at its inner end with asocket I54 into which the reduced end of the plunger projects. A locknut I55 serves to lock the stop member I53 in adjustable position. Thepurpose of the stop member I53. is to limit the movement of the plungerin the direction in which it is pressed by the spring 55 and, byadjusting this member, the throw of the plunger 45 may be controlled.

Extending transversely through the opposite side walls of the housing isan operating shaft I56 mounted to oscillate and on this shaft is securedan L-shaped lever I51. The horizontal leg of this lever is perforated toembrace the shaft, and the lever is locked to the shaft in properlyadjusted position by means of a set screw I5la.

v The upright leg of the lever is bifurcated to straddle the reduced endof the plunger A5 to form on said lever two upstanding fingers I 58adapted to bear against the rear face of the fixed collar 49.

Secured to one end of'the operating shaft externally of the casing is ahub I59 and to this hub is secured a pressure arm I80. This arm extendsdownwardly to a point well below the tube 6 and it is then bent upwardlyinto substantially U- shape. The lower portion of the arm is also bentin the direction of the door and, in the region of this bend, rubbertubing IE2 is placed about the arm to form a cushion against which adrinking glass may be engaged without attendant noise or harm to theglass.

Rigid with the outer end of the plunger 45 is a valve carrying arm 46positioned on the exterior of the housing and depending from theplunger. The lower end of this arm is provided with a cam block 63having a circular boss 66 at its rear end. This boss is coaxial of thedischarge tube 6 and is adapted to extend into the metal clip 23' of aslide valve 22. This metal clip is provided at its opposite sides Withtongues (indicated 25 in said prior patent) and these tongues are bentover the flange 2| of the tube when the can is shipped full of milk.

When the can is placed in the cabinet, the tube is withdrawn asdescribed in said prior patent, engaged with the bead i8 and the outerend of the tube is locked to the cam block 83 by means of the grippersI9. These grippers are operated by the eccentric member 54 which servesto release the tongues from the tube and at the same time secure thevalve 22 to the valve operating arm 46,, all, as fully described in saidpatent.

When the parts are thus assembled, movement of the plunger 45 to theleft in Figure 1 from the full line position to the dotted lineposition, will move the slide valve 22 to the left suificiently touncover the discharge port 30 in the tube and milk will be dischargedfrom the can through the tube port 30. This movement of the plunger 45is accomplished by engaging a drinking glass with the pressure arm I55and then forcibly movingsaid glass in the direction of the door to 1swing the arm from the full line position of Figure 1 to the dotted lineposition of this figure. This movement of the arm causes the L-shapedlever to be tilted in a counterclockwise direction with the result thatpressure exerted thereby upon the fixed collar 49 will move the plunger45 I to the left in Figure 1 against the tension of the spring 55. Bythe time the pressure arm I60 is inthe dotted line position, the port 50will have been uncovered and milk will flow into the drinking glass heldbeneath the same. When the glass is full, it is manually withdrawn andsuch movement of the glass will be accompanied by retrograde movement ofthe plunger under pressure imparted by the spring to restore the partsto the full line positions of Figure 1 with the slide valve closed toseal the port 30.

In operating this device, the operators hand is not required to touchany part of the device. He simply holds the glass and presses it againstthe pressure arm I until the glass is full and then withdraws the glass.Only one hand is required for this operation. The other hand is leftfree to carry a bundle, tray or other article.

The foregoing detailed description describes the invention in itspreferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as.fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an assembly of the character described: a liquid discharge tubeprovided in its outer end with a slide valve movable longitudinally ofthe tube to cover and uncover a discharge port in the Wall of the tube,a housing mounted in fixed position with respect to the tube, a plungermounted for longitudinal movement in a direction parallel to the axis ofthe tube, a valve carrying arm supported on said plunger and secured tothe valve, a spring embracing the plunger and normally moving theplunger into a position wherein the valve will seal the port of thetube, a lever pivoted within said housing and engaging with an abutmenton the plunger, and a pressure arm rigid with said lever and extendingto a point beneath the tube and into the path of a drinking glass whenthe latter is moved into a position beneath the discharge port of thetube, whereby pressure exerted by the glass against the pressure armwill tilt the lever and move the plunger against the tension of saidspring into a position to slide the valve and uncover the discharge portof the tube.

2. In an assembly of the character described: a cabinet door, a housingmounted on the door and provided with a depending tube holder, adischarge tube extending through a hole in the door into engagement withthe tube holder to secure the tube against axial movement, there being aslide valve in the outer end of the tube to normally cover a dischargeport in the latter, a plunger mounted for axial movement the housing ina direction parallel to the axis of the tube, said plunger beingconnected at its outer end to the slide valve of the tube and providedinteriorly of the housin with a fixed collar and a spring embracing theplunger and bearing against the collar to normally position the valve tocover the tube port, a lever fulcrumed within the housing, to engage anabutment on the plunger between the spring and the door, and a pressurearm connected to said lever, and projecting into the path of a drinkingglasse the latter is moved into position below the tube port, wherebypressure on the glass will swing the pressure arm against the tension ofthe spring to move the valve into a position to unseal the tube port.

3. In an assembly of the character described: a cabinet door, a housingmounted on the door and provided with a depending tube holdena dischargetube extending through a hole in the door into engagement with the tubeholder to secure the tube against axial movement. there being a slidevalve in the outer end of the tube to normally cover a discharge port inthe latter, a plunger mounted for axial movement in the housing in adirection parallel to the axis of the tube, said plunger being connectedat its outer end to the slide valve of the tube and provided interiorlyof the housing with a fixed collar and a spring embracing the plungerand bearing against the collar to normally position the valve to coverthe tube port, a lever fulcrumed within the housing to engage anabutment on the plunger between the spring and the door, a pressure armconnected to said lever and projecting into the path of a drinking glassas the latter is moved into position below the tube port, wherebypressure on the glass will swing the pressure arm against the tension ofthe spring to move the valve into a position to unseal the tube port,and a stop member adjustable axially of the plunger to limit themovement thereof in the direction of the door for the purpose ofadjusting the position of the valve in the tube.

4. In an assembly of the character described: a cabinet door having anopening therein, a, liquid discharge tube extending through said openingto a point outside of the door and provided in its outer end with aslide valve to cover and uncover a discharge port in the tube, means onthe door to secure the tube against axial movement, a plunger parallelto the axis of the tube and secured to the valve, a lever positioned toact on the plunger in a direction to move the valve to uncover the port,a pressure arm secured to the lever and projecting into the path of aglass to be engaged and moved thereby to cause the valve to uncover thetube port as the glass is moved into position beneath said port, and aspring biasing the lever to normally hold the valve in position to coverthe port.

5. In an assembly of the character described: a cabinet door having anopening therein, a liquid discharge tube extending through said openingto a point outside of the door and provided in its outer end with aslide valve to cover and uncover a discharge port in the tube, means onthe door to secure the tube against axial movement, a plunger parallelto the axis of the tube and secured to the valve, a lever positioned toact on the plunger in a direction to move the valve to uncover the port,a pressure arm secured to the lever and projecting into the path of aglass to be engaged and moved thereby to cause the valve to uncover thetube port as the glass is moved into position beneath said port, and aspring embracing the plunger and normally holding the valve in positionto cover the port.

JOHN A. HOPWOOD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,454,340 Schutt May 8, 19231,512,017 Field Oct. 21, 1924 2,186,083 Tamminga Jan. 9, 1940

